NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Begins Science Mission

12 September 2018SPACE reports that NASA’s asteroid-sampling OSIRIS-REx spacecraft began studying the Bennu near-Earth asteroid Monday, according to an announcement by mission team members. According to a tweet by OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta, the spacecraft’s team planned to “start our first science observations...searching for dust plumes around Bennu.” NASA officials plan to use data collected about Bennu’s dust environment to “help keep OSIRIS-REx safe as it approaches the asteroid later this year.” OSIRIS-REx is expected to “reach Bennu on Dec. 3 and slide into orbit around the space rock four weeks later, on Dec. 31.” (Image Credit: NASA)More Info (SPACE)